Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Seven - Branch Rickey and Looking Forward

 For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, or Part Eight...make your choice here. :-)  

Elder Sterling W. Sill nears the end of his talk on "Great Experiences" with the reassurance that all of our best work, our best times, are certainly NOT in the rear view mirror for anyone. He says:

 

The Quote 

 "But all of my great experiences are not in the past. Branch Rickey, the great baseball manager, was once asked to describe his greatest day in baseball. He said, “I can’t because I haven’t had it yet.”

Who was Branch Rickey?

 First of all, Westley Branch Rickey was the husband of my sixth cousin three times removed, as far as I can tell. Not bad.

But amazingly, he was the one who desegregated the game of baseball when he hired Jackie Robinson to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers as their manager.  

A very forward-thinking man, and how many people can say they have Harrison Ford to play them in the movie, right?  

A little swearing (beware), but a pretty good scene. :-)

 

He had a long and illustrious career. I can only assume he gave this quote near the end of all those world-bending experiences, which was pretty incredible in itself. 

It does make me want to think the same way. Who knows what's on the horizon for any of us, really? Who wants to think everything good in their life is behind them? I know there's much more in store for me - no way are my best experiences behind me. :-)

 

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Eight - Charles F. Kettering and Touching the Future

 For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven...this is the last article in the series. Go back to the beginning if you need to, or read on. Your choice.. :-) 

Finally! We come to the end of Elder Sterling W. Sill's quote-rich talk, "Great Experiences" from the April 1971 General Conference.Such a wealth of resources in this one!

 

The Quote 

"Charles F. Kettering, the mechanical wizard of General Motors, once said, “My interest is in the future, because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.”"

 

Past, Present, Future

This quote was also meant to be hopeful, in that looking to the future is something none of us should stop doing at any age. In fact, a lot about my faith or even other faiths is concerned with what may come to us in the far-distant future, after mortality. Since we believe that life continues on after death, what is that life going to look like? How can we maximize that here? Gaining life with God would then be our 'greatest experience' we could have.

Personally I find value in all three states here on Earth - learning from the past, enjoying the present as much as I can, and looking to hope in the future. Paying good attention to what's coming will make my life easier as it usually does. It doesn't work to get myself stuck in any one mode for too long.

 

And Who is Charles F. Kettering?

I'd never heard of Charles Kettering before this quote, like so many others, so the research here was interesting. Someone who's into cars or success might have.  

And here I am again, face to face with the husband of my eighth cousin five times removed, Olive Leora Williams. Very nice!

Apparently he held 186 patents for inventions like the car starter, leaded gas, and freon for air conditioning, which makes my life so sweet here in the summertime under 100+ degree summers. Thank you Charles! 

You definitely touched the future. What will you or I do for the future, I wonder?

Elder Sterling W. Sills's "Great Experiences" - Part Six - Like Father Pitkin, Like Son

For Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Seven or Part Eight...make your choice. :-) 

Elder Sill's talk, "Great Experiences", continues on to talk about rebirth, which leads into the concept of repentance. Next he says:

The Quote 

"In 1932, Walter Pitkin wrote his book Life Begins at Forty, but that is ridiculous. Life begins every morning."

  

The Search for Walter Pitkin ... or is THIS Walter Pitkin???

I got a little confused when I went looking for Walter Pitkin, until I realized there was a Walter Sr. and a Walter Jr. who were both writers. The quote originates from Walter Sr., who was a professor at Columbia University, and is the husband of my eighth cousin once removed. Makes them both relatives, then.

Cool! 

His book, "Life Begins at Forty", published in 1932, popularized that title as a catchphrase that I remember growing up with. It was a self-help book that gave rise to the idea that the second half of your life could be just as good or better than the first half if you go into it with a positive outlook. 

Definitely interested in the chapter that begs the question, "Does Women's Life Begin at Forty?" 

I sure hope so.

Generally I agree with that sentiment of positive thinking as we age, but I also agree with Elder Sill in that every day can be a new beginning anytime we decide to make a positive change. Jesus Christ makes that renewal possible for me every day, and I'm so grateful for it. :-)

On an interesting note, his son, Walter Pitkin, Jr., obviously had his father in mind, and obviously expected to live longer than dear old Dad, when he wrote his book, "Life Begins at Fifty" in 1965. Didn't quite take off in the public mind the way Dad's book did, but I personally appreciate the sentiment.

Walter Jr. also seems to have a little more sense of humor than Dad did. I absolutely have to read the chapter entitled, "How to Sweat Out an Adequate Retirement Income Without Playing the Ponies."